Tropical Islands: South Sea Vibes Beneath a Hangar Roof

Some day-trip destinations need explaining. Tropical Islands is not one of them. An artificial beach, real palm trees, 25 degrees year-round and water slides — the concept sells itself. What visitors do not expect beforehand is just how vast it all is. And how surreal it feels to be standing in a tropical rainforest in Brandenburg while rain drums against the roof of the hall outside.

The Hall: A Cold War World Record

The building housing Tropical Islands was not originally built as a leisure park. It is an airship hangar constructed in the early 2000s for a company called CargoLifter, which was developing enormous transport zeppelins. The project failed, the company went insolvent, and the hangar stood empty. What remained is, at 360 metres long, 210 metres wide and 107 metres tall, still the largest free-standing structure in the world. The Eiffel Tower would fit inside with room to spare.

Tropical Islands opened in the hangar in 2004. The interior was transformed into a tropical biotope: 50,000 plants including a genuine rainforest with fully grown trees, a 200-metre sandy beach, and several pools and lagoons. The temperature remains 25 to 30 degrees Celsius year-round, with correspondingly high humidity. Arriving in January and hanging up your winter coat at the changing rooms, you need a few minutes to acclimatise.

What There Is to Experience

The main pool is called the Bali Lagoon and forms the centrepiece of the resort: a wave pool lined with palms, suspension bridges and a beach bar. Waves roll in every half hour; in between, the water is calm. All around, people recline on sun loungers among tropical plants as though this were the most natural thing in the world.

Those after slides will find them in the Amazonia zone: several runs of varying length and speed, from family-friendly curved slides to steep drops for adrenaline seekers. The Bali Sauna area is particularly popular in the evenings and has won multiple awards. Those who want to relax without getting wet can stroll through the artificial rainforest zone: a walkway through genuine tropical plants, birds in the canopy, a waterfall in the background.

Less well known is the outdoor area: a campsite directly beside the hall where guests can stay overnight, whether in their own tent, in bungalows, or in the more upmarket resort accommodation. Staying on-site is affordable and allows visitors to enjoy the evening hours when day visitors have left and the atmosphere becomes considerably quieter.

Getting There and Ticket Prices

Tropical Islands is located in Brand, a small town between Berlin and Cottbus. The RE2 from Berlin Ostbahnhof reaches Brand/Tropical Islands station in around 50 minutes. From the station, a shuttle bus runs to the hall in ten minutes at a cost of €3. At weekends there is also a direct shuttle from Berlin Hauptbahnhof offering a combined travel-and-entry ticket. This represents good value, since entry alone — without a combined ticket — costs €35 to €50 for adults and €25 to €35 for children.

Combined tickets including the shuttle and entry are significantly cheaper online than at the door. It is well worth booking in advance. Day tickets are valid for the full opening hours. Those staying overnight will need a ticket with an overnight option.

Practical Tips

The best time to visit is on a weekday morning. At weekends and during school holidays the hall fills up, the slides develop queues and the beach gets crowded. On a Tuesday morning outside the holiday season you can walk straight onto the slides.

Bringing your own food is permitted in the outdoor areas of the resort. This saves a considerable amount, as the on-site catering is priced at standard leisure-park rates. A picnic in a beach chair outside is the better option, provided the weather cooperates. Those eating inside will find a range of restaurants and food stalls, from Hawaiian bowls to pizza.

For families with children, Tropical Islands is one of the most reliably weather-independent day trips in the Berlin area. Rain is irrelevant. So is cold. And while parents unwind in the sauna, children can stay on the slides until they have had their fill. That is the real concept. From our Berlin holiday apartments, the S-Bahn and RE2 get you there in under an hour.